


Spiraling.

by cathcer1984



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alpha Scott McCall (Teen Wolf), Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst with a Happy Ending, Beta Derek Hale, Claudia Stilinski Feels, Dead Claudia Stilinski, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, First Kiss, Getting Together, M/M, Sheriff Stilinski's Name is John, Stilinski Family Feels
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-06
Updated: 2018-12-06
Packaged: 2019-09-13 03:31:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,456
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16884825
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cathcer1984/pseuds/cathcer1984
Summary: Stiles and his dad get a surprise visitor one summer's day. Claudia's first born child who was put up for adoption.*Stiles was home from Quantico for the summer when she came.She showed up on their doorstep looking like the ghost of a woman long dead.The Sheriff dropped his glass of iced tea he had been holding when he went to the door. Stiles' laughter died in his throat."Sheriff Stilinski?" She asked and god, Stiles thought, she had the same tone but the wrong accent. "My name is Maria Walker. I'm the biological daughter of Claudia Gajos, Stilinski now.""She's dead." Stiles gasped out as his chest tightened.





	Spiraling.

**Author's Note:**

> I just wondered what would happen if a Long Lost Family type situation occurred with the Stilinski's. This is the result.
> 
> Title as in 'spiraling out of control'.
> 
> Unbeta'd.

Stiles was home from Quantico for the summer when she came. 

She showed up on their doorstep looking like the ghost of a woman long dead. 

The Sheriff dropped his glass of iced tea he had been holding when he went to the door. Stiles' laughter died in his throat. 

"Sheriff Stilinski?" She asked and god, Stiles thought, she had the same tone but the wrong accent. "My name is Maria Walker. I'm the biological daughter of Claudia Gajos, Stilinski now."

"She's dead." Stiles gasped out as his chest tightened. 

"Stiles!" His dad admonished him with a hiss. 

Maria smiled, "it's okay Sheriff. I was aware of that. I found out her name, and googled it. You came up and I just got in the car and started driving. I'm really sorry for just showing up."

The Sheriff nodded along and smiled weakly. "You look just like her. Claudia." He stepped aside to let Maria in, she strode over the broken glass and puddle of cold tea. "I'll get something to clean that up. Have a seat, this is Stiles, my son. Mine and Claudia's."

Stiles watched his dad headed into the kitchen leaving Stiles alone with a stranger wearing his mother's face. He couldn't look at her, he didnt't want to. 

"How old are you Stiles?" Maria asked after a few tense moments of silence. "I'm twenty-eight, my mother-" she stopped herself and gave a giggle. " _Our_ mother was sixteen when she had me." 

When his dad came back in with cleaning supplies Stiles launched himself off the couch. "I'm going to Scott's." He announced before rushing out the still open front door, with just his phone and car keys in hand, shoeless. 

Stiles did not, in fact, go to Scott's. 

He wound up at Derek's loft. Derek was standing in the doorway looking concerned when Stiles finished climbing the stairs. "Alright?" Derek asked.

"No." Stiles gave a slightly hysterical laugh. "Apparently I have half a sister. A half-sister. On my mom's side." He dug the palms of his hands into his eyes until bright spots appeared. It did nothing to stop the panic, betrayal and devastation welling up inside him. 

Gentle hands pulled him forward until Stiles was resting his forehead against Derek's chest as Derek's arms came around him. This hugging thing was new between them, starting only days ago when Stiles had come back. He had hugged Scott, as usual, then Kira and Lydia and finally, Derek. Apparently it was going to be a thing they did now. "It'll be alright." Derek said in a low tone. "We'll sort it out." His voice rumbled in his chest soothing Stiles enough to make him drop his hands and curl his arms around Derek's torso. 

"This is so fucked up." Stiles whispered. 

“It will be okay, Stiles,” Derek whispered back.

*__

It wasn’t okay. 

It was so far from okay that Stiles was incredibly close to falling apart and no one noticed. Not his dad who had taken to Maria like she was the second coming of Claudia. He adored her, listened to her and told her all about her mother whilst ignoring Stiles’ heart breaking as he spoke to a stranger more than his own son about his long dead wife. 

Stiles felt hurt and rejected by the one man who had gone through the same loss. They barely mentioned her and when they did it was in allusions and roundabout ways. They never said her name, they never mentioned specifics until now it seemed. Until this stranger wearing his mother’s face came to the door.

The pack accepted her seamlessly. They hadn’t informed her of the werewolf side of their lives, Maria just thought they were Stiles’ friends and she wanted to get to know her new half-brother and his friends. 

To Stiles it seemed as though his friends were accepting this woman, who was similar to him in so many ways but without the annoying parts, so much easier than they did him. Maria was kind where Stiles was cutting, she was witty when Stiles was sarcastic, she was quiet where Stiles was loud, Maria was calm when Stiles fidgeted.

The pack were nicer to her than to Stiles, they smiled when she came around. All Stiles got was eyes rolled at him and Jackson’s cruel remarks. 

It was painful for Stiles to see, to hear and be around. He was beginning to resent his sister, hate her even and he hated the pack too. 

Nothing hurt more than seeing Derek and Maria together. She looked stunning next to him and the way Derek smiled at her gently made Stiles’ heart ache knowing that Derek would _never_ look at him like that. 

Derek had never shown any interest in Stiles beyond pack boundaries and Stiles was the idiot that fell in love with him anyway. And now this imposter comes along, a better version of Stiles and female and Stiles could see it happening before his eyes. Derek was falling for her just as he had for Paige. 

Stiles couldn’t stand it. He avoided the problem the easiest way he could, by avoiding the pack and his dad’s house. Stiles would tell the pack he was spending the night at his dad’s and tell his dad he was staying with pack when in reality he drove to different parts of town and slept each night in his car. 

His days were spent at the Beacon Hills Library where he had a legitimate reason to be there, working on a distance paper for a summer semester at college so he could graduate sooner.

This tentative state of anxiety, little sleep, too much work, not enough time with his pack was sending Stiles spiralling towards breaking point. 

“Hey, man.” Scott grinned as he slid into the seat in front of Stiles. 

“‘Sup.” Stiles nodded his head as he typed furiously. 

“Haven’t seen you in a few days.” Scott eyed him thoughtfully.

“Been busy, with law and dad, you know.” 

“Sure,” Scott bobbed his head and then faced Stiles with a hard expression. “I call bullshit.”

“What?” 

“Bullshit. You haven’t seen your dad for almost as long as you haven’t seen the pack.” Scott folded his arms, Alpha tone seeping into his voice, “Where have you been sleeping?”

“Around.” Stiles snapped. 

Scott was startled by Stiles, he could tell. “What’s the matter with you?”

“I don’t have to answer to you!” Stiles snarled as he slammed his laptop shut, grabbed his bag and stormed out the library with Scott hot on his heels. 

Scott grabbed hold of Stiles’ arm pulling round so they were face-to-face. “I am your Alpha. We’re your pack and we’re worried about you.”

Stiles scoffed with disbelief. “Like you noticed I was gone. It’s been what? Five days and you’re only looking for me now!”

“I was giving you space!” 

“I didn’t want fucking space I wanted my pack! My best friend! I wanted _someone_ to notice I was falling apart! And not one of you fucking noticed!” Stiles wiped his hand furiously over his wet cheeks. “Not you, not Derek or Lydia or even my dad! So fuck you Scott. Fuck you all!” Stiles stormed away from Scott and into his jeep, he was breathing erratically and he recklessly drove far enough away that he would be out of Scott’s hearing range before he succumbed to the panic attack. 

*__

The loud ringing of Stiles’ phone woke him. He jerked upwards in his seat hitting his elbow on the window, his knee slammed into the steering wheel. Tiredly, Stiles rubbed his eyes. When the ringing stopped Stiles checked the time, it was after midnight nearing one in the morning. 

He had over twenty texts from the pack sending variations on ‘miss you, haven’t seen you in a few days, drop by soon’, his dad escalating levels of ‘come home son’ to ‘I’ll put an APB on the jeep’, and fucking Maria asking if he ‘was alright’.

Rolling his eyes Stiles ignored all of them. The missed phone call was from Scott. No voice message left. 

He started the engine of the jeep determined to drive around and find a McDonalds or twenty-four hour Starbucks even if he had to go to Beacon County. He was hungry and wanted free wifi. 

His phone rang again. Stiles reached over to switch it off hesitating when Derek’s name flashed up on screen, ultimately Stiles didn’t have to decide. The phone rang out before he moved. Stiles turned the sound off completely and drove. His heart hurt as he passed the ‘ _Thank you for visiting Beacon Hills_ ’ sign but Stiles continued on. He needed to get out. 

When he pulled up to a McDonalds twenty minutes later on the outskirts of Beacon County Stiles sat in his car before picking up his phone. He had more missed calls from Scott, his dad and Derek. He even had a few voice messages. 

Holding the phone to his ear Stiles listened to the first one from Scott. “Stiles, man, bro, I’m so sorry dude. I thought you were doing okay. I-” Stiles deleted it and moved on to the next one. 

“Son, come home please. I- I need… Just call me, Stiles please son. I love you.” His dad’s voice was broken, defeated and pleading all at once. Stiles curled his hand tighter around his phone. He would call his dad afterwards. 

The last voice message started with a few seconds of silence, a sharp intake of breath and a long exhale before “Stiles.” Derek’s voice was firm. “I am coming to find you.”

Stiles hung up as the message ended. He called Derek instead of his dad. 

“Stiles.” Derek’s voice was harsh. 

“No need to come after me, big guy. I’m fine. Call off the hounds.” 

“Too late.” Derek said gruffly. “I’m already on my way.” 

“Fuck.” Stiles spat. “Don’t, Derek, okay? Don’t bother.” 

There was a pause before Derek said “Why not? You’re pack, I care about you. We all do. You have everyone frantic Stiles, your dad is damned near inconsolable and Maria is-”

“Well if Maria’s upset.” Stiles said sarcastically. “I best get my arse back to Beacon Hills huh?” 

Derek took a loud breath in. “Maria. That’s what your problem is, her.” 

It wasn’t a question but Stiles answered anyway. “No, nope, nada, not at all.”

“I don’t need to hear your heartbeat to know you’re lying right now Stiles.” 

“I’m not lying Derek.” Stiles gritted out. “My problem is my pack not knowing me well enough. My problem is my pack not being there for me. My problem is no one noticing how fucking hard it is to have some stranger with my mother’s face force her way in-”

“She isn’t forcing you out, Stiles.” Derek said calmly, softly. 

“Fuck you Derek. You wouldn’t understand?”

Derek let out a harsh laugh. “I wouldn’t understand a returning sister?” 

“You fucking knew about Cora. You grew up with her, it’s not even remotely the same! She wasn’t some stranger showing up at your door with your dead mother’s fucking face!” 

“Okay.” Derek conceded. “You are right I don’t understand. I don’t understand why you wouldn’t grab this opportunity to extend your family, to welcome a woman who is a part of your mother into your life.” 

“Because she’s not my mother! I don’t want a sister! I just want my mom back! And she isn’t her, she isn’t here and- and-” Stiles screamed out wordlessly, almost a howl. He couldn’t bear to hear Derek’s calm and gentle, mocking, tone in his ear. Stiles hung up his phone and turned it off with fumbling fingers. He threw it on to the passenger seat before slamming his fists into the steering wheel over and over, kicking his legs while yelling and howling. 

He didn’t notice when the car door was yanked open but he felt the hands on his arms. Stiles kept beating until firm arms wrapped around him trapping his arms. Stiles recognised his dad’s cologne, the scratch of his uniform, the strength of his hug. His dad’s voice was wrecked as he whispered “I’m sorry,” and “I love you” and “I miss her too”. It took awhile for Stiles to stop screaming and sobbing into his dad’s shoulder. 

He shifted his head to rest his cheek against his dad’s. Stiles could see the cruiser with it’s flashing lights nearby and next to it stood Derek. His eyes were burning blue, he was watching Stiles and his dad with an intense look on his face. 

John shifted and pulled away just far enough to cup Stiles’ cheeks in his hands forcing their eyes to meet. “I’m sorry. I am so sorry, son. I got blindsided and I neglected you. Again. I-”

“Dad,” Stiles whispered. “It’s okay, don’t cry. I love you, I love you so much.” 

Stiles’ dad leaned in a pressed a lingering kiss to Stiles’ forehead. “Come on, let’s get you home.” He helped Stiles out the jeep, Stiles leaned heavily on his dad as exhaustion waved over him. He refused to look at Derek as they got nearer. 

John opened the back door and Stiles slumped in. He fell across the seat and closed his eyes, gentle hands shifted him enough to strap him in. A hand passed over his hair and down his neck before squeezing lightly. Stiles knew it was Derek.

“I’ll get his stuff from the jeep.” Derek said lowly. “It should be okay here for a couple of hour and I’ll get a couple of the other betas to get it in the morning.” 

“Thank you Derek.” Stiles’ dad said. It sounded to Stiles like heavier thank you, he was saying it for more than the jeep. It didn’t take Stiles long to figure out that Derek and his dad were following him together, that his dad had heard his phone call with Derek. Stiles curled in on himself ashamed and embarrassed. 

Derek and John sat in the front of the cruiser talking lowly as John started to drive, Stiles kept his eyes closed and eventually dropped off to sleep to lull of their voices and the gentle motions of the car. 

*__

Stiles woke slightly as he was moved from the cruiser’s back. He wasn’t fully awake and merely rolled his head back onto Derek’s shoulder as Derek carried him into the house and lay him on a soft bed. 

Gentle hands removed his shoes, unbuttoned his trousers and pulled them off before maneuvering his arms out of his plaid shirt. Derek’s hand pushed through his hair as he shushed quietly. Dry lips pressed against Stiles’ forehead as his dad whispered ‘goodnight son,” then as he said something else probably to Derek, Stiles went back to sleep.

It was daytime when Stiles woke again. He was in his room, the curtains were drawn and slumped in his computer chair with his neck at an odd angle was Derek. He was fast asleep and Stiles knew as soon as he moved Derek would wake up. 

Stiles waited for a good five minutes before he had to stretch. He moved his limbs about and when he was done Derek was watching him as intensely as he had been yesterday. 

Neither of them said anything. Stiles waited for Derek to speak but he didn’t, so Stiles rolled over and faced the wall. The computer chair squeaked as Derek got up, the bed dipped as he sat down. Derek’s hand came up brush over Stiles’ hair again, settling on his neck. 

“She would never replace you.” Derek said quietly, so quietly Stiles almost didn’t hear him. “The pack thought she was important to you. It’s why we welcomed her so readily. Maria is nothing like you.” 

Derek’s grip got tighter, as if reinforcing his message. “She isn’t loyal to us, she doesn’t keep us together, we aren’t happy to see her. She is not pack, Stiles. You are.” Derek leaned over so his forehead was pressed to Stiles’ hair above his ear. “We don’t _love_ her. _I_ don’t love her, not like I do you.” Derek’s breathe as warm against Stiles’ ear as he breathed, he could surely hear Stiles’ heart beating furiously in his chest. “Seeing you like that yesterday almost destroyed me. You’re so strong, you take everything in your stride and I thought you were handling this as well. Next time, talk to me Stiles. I want to help you, I want to protect you.” 

Stiles was turning to look at Derek when Derek smiled at him so beautifully that he couldn’t help himself. Tilting his face up Stiles brushed his lips against Derek’s cheek, nudging at Derek’s face with his nose until their lips met. 

This kiss was chaste, gentle, sweet and Stiles was breathless from it. “I love you,” Derek said seriously as he pulled away. 

“Why?” Stiles asked, lost.

“Because you’re the bravest man I have ever met. Because you love me. And you love my pack, you protect us and help us and take care of us. You’re the glue that keeps us from fracturing.” Derek smiled. “You’re beautiful Stiles Stilinski.” 

Stiles pulled Derek down for another kiss. “I love you too. But you already know that.” 

Derek nodded and ducked his head shyly. “I was waiting until you finished college before saying anything.” 

With another kiss Stiles pulled Derek down so he was lying on top of Stiles, his weight comforting Stiles. “I hate Maria, I hate who she is and what she reminds me of. I hate that she’s a lovely person and I hate that I don’t really hate her at all.” Stiles confessed.

“We’ll slow down with it all.” Derek promised. “I think she realised how it was too much too soon for you and your dad. He called her Claudia the other day. It was like a slap to the face for everyone.” 

Stiles sighed heavily. “He would have felt terrible. And I made it worse.”

“No, no, Stiles you didn’t.” Derek propped himself up on his elbows to look at Stiles fully. “It’s a hard situation for both you. Maria shouldn’t have just shown up, I know she is over eighteen but there are processes in place to stop this kind of thing happening. It’s just unfortunate that Stilinski is an uncommon name and your dad was found so easily on google. This is no ones fault Stiles, especially not yours.” 

Nodding Stiles swallowed thickly. He tugged Derek down so he was lying completely on top of Stiles, his hair tickled Stiles’ chin and Derek’s breath was warm on Stiles’ throat. They stayed in that position for a long time. Stiles dozing on and off but Derek was sound asleep, a comforting weight on top of him. 

A knock sounded at his door Stiles tilted his head to see his dad peeking in. “Hey dad.” 

John came in and pressed a kiss to Stiles’ forehead before running a gentle hand over Derek’s hair. “You alright kiddo?” 

“I’ve been worse.” 

“Yeah, a rough week for us both huh?” John smiled. “I, uh, I spoke to Maria this morning. She’s going back to Oregon tomorrow. I told her we weren’t rejecting her but she needs to give us time to process this.”

“Did you know?” Stiles asked, his voice small.

“I knew you were your mom’s second born.” John rubbed his face tiredly. “I knew she had a kid and gave it up for adoption. I- She was so frightened to tell me she was pregnant. Thought I was going to leave like the last time.” John reached out and cupped Stiles’ cheek. “Like I would have ever left the two of you. She loved you Stiles, I know it was hard towards the end but she absolutely adored you. Don’t ever forget that.”

Stiles nodded and shared a wet smile with his dad. 

“Both of you come on down for some breakfast, I’ll make pancakes.”

“Chocolate chip?” Stiles asked.

“Sure kiddo. Any requests, son?”

“Blueberry,” Derek mumbled and Stiles hadn’t realised he was awake. 

“Sure thing. Don’t take too long.” John ruffled both their hair before heading out. 

Stiles bit his lip. Derek stretched and pressed soft kisses to the underside of his jaw. “I smell bacon,” he murmured into Stiles’ skin. 

With a laugh Stiles tightened his arms around Derek, “I’ll let it slide for today. He deserves it.”

“He’s a good dad.” 

“The best,” Stiles agreed. He reached out and cupped Derek’s face. “You’re a good man too.” 

Derek smiled beautifully at him. Stiles knew it wasn’t going to be easy, any of it, but for Derek it sure as hell was worth trying.

**Author's Note:**

> I know nothing of FBI training or Quantico so I am assuming it's a bit like a real university. Not a major plot point but sorry if it bugs anyone by being so wrong.
> 
> Claudia was 16 when she had maria, who is 28 now. Stiles is 20 and claudia was 24 when she and john had him. They married when Claudia was 21.
> 
> Info about Claudia's maiden name came from Teen Wolf Wiki.
> 
> I am [on tumblr](https://cathcer1984.tumblr.com/) (for now)


End file.
